The Foreign Service Journal, December 2007

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 83 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT rity reasons. And some posts lack schools that meet the criteria of English-language, American-curricu- lum, nonprofit and secular. In these situations, an “away-from-post” or boarding school allowance is provided for some or all grades. This allowance varies by post and is based on the average of the tuition, room-and-board costs for all the boarding schools attended by chil- dren of U.S. government families posted abroad, plus the cost of three round trips a year to return to post or visit parents at an alternate point dur- ing school vacations. This calculus is the reason it may be more cost-effective for a student to attend a school closer to post. The amount allowed for each post can be found on the State Department intranet by clicking “Allowances, Rates, Education” and conducting an alphabetic search for your country. There are many variables in each situation, so when in doubt, ask. The Family Liaison Office and the Office of Allowances can assist with ques- tions about midyear transfers, train- ing, unaccompanied tours and other situations that come up. One impor- tant point to keep in mind is that if a student has a parent living in the U.S. for any reason, he or she is not eligi- ble for an educational allowance to attend school in the States unless that U.S.-resident parent has no custodial rights. In such cases, an overseas board- ing school may be worth considering. However, parents should keep in mind that there are likely to be addi- tional expenses, such as uniforms and field trips, that are not covered by allowances. Although the Family Liaison Of- fice will gladly provide guidance, some circumstances may require specialized assistance. For instance, if a student has special needs or a placement is needed immediately or the admission application deadline has passed, professional assistance may be required. There are excel- lent private consultants who special- ize in helping internationally mobile families. FLO can give you refer- rals. The Application Process The application process for board- ing schools is much like that for col- lege admissions. It takes almost a year from registering your expression of interest to receiving the letter of acceptance. • Consult reference works, talk with other parents, and contact FLO’s education and youth officer and your school guidance counselor for suggestions. Continued on page 86 Continued from page 80